Modi forms panel to scrap obsolete law, rules

Two months after telling all secretaries to identify and scrap obsolete rules and regulations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday set up an expert panel to identify obsolete laws.

The two-member panel will be chaired by R. Ramanujam, Secretary PMO and have former legislative department secretary V. K. Bhasin as its other member.

Even as secretaries have been asked to identify 8-10 laws in their respective departments which have served their purpose, the new committee will examine all Acts recommended to be repealed an earlier Committee on Review of Administrative Laws.

The Ramanujam committee will also review laws and rules which may have become obsolete in last ten to fifteen years and give its report in three months.

“The Prime Minister expressed concern that out of the 1382 Acts recommended for repeal by that Committee, only 415 have been repealed so far. He has called for a focused and result-oriented exercise to systematically weed out archaic laws and rules.